Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Continued from page 25 rain date. In years past, the 200 was forced to run during the week aher having been rained out on Sunday. As far as lighting, most of the riders agreed that the track's lights were sufficient. "It [the lighting] turned out pretty good," Reed said. "It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be." Mike laRocco, who has a lot of experience racing at Daytona, said of the lighting. "I was curious, for sure, because the dirt is so dark. When the ruts came up, it was a lillie bit dark, but you take away the heat [of racing during the day] and you put it under the lights, I think you can ride the track a little more aggressively. With the heat, you have to be careful of that some times . As far as I'm concerned, it turned out good." As far as attendance, the first-time night race appeared to attract one of Daytona'S largest SX crowds. An officialattendance was not announced. Also new this year, the Daytona Supercross fans were allowed to watch the race from the speedway's banked tri-oval, which allowed for closer viewing. Even though the cost was $10 extra, many fans still took advantage of this new offer. This year's Daytona Supercross also stuck with standard su percross fo rmat . In the past, the Daytona SX was the one race of the series that allowed a larger 30rider starting gate, as well as three, instead of two, heats. This year's Daytona Supercross was a milestone for 33-year-old Mike laRocco, for it was his 200th-career Supercross race. He ho lds the record for starting the most Supercross races. To ho nor laRocco's acco mplishment, a ce re mony will be held next week, on Satu rday, at the St. Louis Supercross. For Travis Preston, the Daytona Supercross was a big disappointment. After posting some top finishes in the 2SOccclass as of late, Preston injured his knee during practice and had to sit out the rest of the day. And he might have to sit out many more races . "It's my bad knee that I hurt last year," Preston said from the Amsoill ChaparraVFactory ConnectiorVHonda pits with an icepack on his right knee. "I knew I was going to fix it some day; it was just a matter of when. I'm surprised to make it as far as I did:' The crash that might force Preston into having surgery was hardly a crash at all. "I overjumped a jump and was pullingoff the track, when I kind of slid out and put my foot down," Preston said. "I was going two miles an hour:' Team Suzuki's rising star Broc H e ple r came into the Daytona Supercross less than 100 percent. "He' s pretty sick," his tuner Lee McCollum said. "He' s got the flu, but he 's trying not to let anybody know. He can't keep any food down, so I told him to go back to the hotel and rest [after practice]." KTM/Red Bull's Grant Langston sported a trick custompainted helmet just for the Daytona race, where NASCAR's most famed race is also held. His M2R helmet was painted up in a Dale Earnhardt Jr. theme. It was bright red with Eam hardt's distinctive number B on the sides . Both Langston and Eamhardt wear the number eight. "I'm go ing to retire it after th is," Langston said . My On a long , fast track like Daytona, one would assume that it would benefit the more powerful 2SOcc and 450cc bikes, but the fastest lap time of the day belonged to James Stewart on the I25cc Kawasaki. "I'm definitely racing against the lap times and all that stuff," Stewart said. "I race against everybody; I race against my lap times; I race against the 250cc lap times . It's good to come in and compare yourself to the 250s , especially when I have to race against these guys next year. I know I definitely have the speed, so I'm loo king forward to it: ' OWN RACE 27 Nick Wey 5th The factory Suzuki rider got off to a horrible 19th-place start, but Nick Wey never gave up and was rewarded with a top-five finish. "Ya know, I've been beat up," Wey said. "The last seven days I've crashed four times big, and I'm just sore. It took me a lo ng time to get warmed up. I was there at the end, and I got a solid fifth. I wanted to do better than that, but from where I started, I'm pretty happy with it. I need a decent finish; I've been having some bad luck lately." 26 Michael Byrne 6th Team Chevy Trucks Kawasaki's Michael Byrne put in strong performances all night and ended up sixth after a fifth-place start. "I got a good start, but Travis [Pastrana] and a bunch of us hit in the first comer, and we all stayed up, but I don't know how," Byme said. From there, I just tried to do all the obstacles and just ride out what I was doing, not race anybody else on the track and just do everything and focus on that. I tried to stay as consistent as I could, and I ended up being sixth. I had fifth, but I kind of bobbled over there on the back and went off the track a little bit, and Nick [Wey] got by me down the last straightaway. I was kind of bummed about that, but he was riding good. He got me right there fair and square. It was better than the last couple of weeks for me." www.cyclenews.com Michael Byrne said that taking last week's Atlanta Supercross was the right move. "I rested up, and that was good," the Team Chevy Trucks Kawasaki rider said. "I was overtraining a lot, and I was just tired all the time , so I was run down. I needed to have a week off, and I think it helped." Dav; Millsaps admitted afterward that he is having a tough time adjusting to not winning as much as he did as an amateur. And so is his mother, apparently. "I'm real stoked," Millsaps said of his second-place finish. "Ho pefully my mom is [laughing]. She was kind of bummed the last two races. It was kind of weird going from amateur, winning a lot of races and [then] going to pro and getting 14th and 21st. It's kind of hard to jump in with these guys: Bubba Stewart and Hanson and everyone else out there. They are great riders, so we'll see what happens next week." Immediately aher crossing the finishline and taking the win, James Stewart grabbed a can of paint and sprayed the number "3" on the infieldgrass in a tribute Dale Eamhardt. CYCLE NEWS . MARCH 17,2004 27

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